


Finding Her in Time

by snowfan24



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Parent Prince Charming | David Nolan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowfan24/pseuds/snowfan24
Summary: David actually got to go through the wardrobe with his daughter. He got to the other side and realized this world was like nothing he'd ever seen. In a world without magic, it was hard to get Emma to believe. If Emma thought her father was crazy, would she ever be able to break the curse?
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Emma Swan, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Comments: 7
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

The blue fairy flew in through the window, the fear clear in her voice. "Circumstances have changed."

Geppetto was confused. "What do you mean 'changed?" He asked.

The fairy sighed. "Snow White is going to give birth early. The savior will be born at any moment. Pinocchio can't go." She said. She understood the older man's love for his child, but couldn't let him do this. The curse would never be broken if the savior grew up alone. "Snow White must accompany her daughter or all will be lost. She must be protected. This is a land with no magic. She will need someone to guide her. Someone to make her believe in her destiny. Who better than her mother?" 

Geppetto looked at the small fairy in anger. "But we had a deal!" His son could be gone forever if he didn't go through that wardrobe. Yes, the savior was important, but so was his boy.

"There is no time to argue!" Blue had far too much on her mind to be having this conversation. "The curse is almost upon us. And I must return to the fairies to make final preparations. It is vital that you tell Snow White what I just told you. Her child is the only hope. She is the only one who can save us!" She flew out the window, leaving the boy and his father to their own devices.

The boy looked up at his father. "Shall we tell Snow White?" His papa had taught him right and wrong his whole life. Lying was most certainly wrong. He knew his papa was worried, so he couldn't fault him for the lapse in judgement, but he knew someone had to be a conscience.

Geppetto looked at the floor for a few moments before answering. "No. I will go now. If I can get to her fast enough, she can go through before the baby is born."

Jiminy pushed his way in front of his oldest friend. "Stop! You know there isn't enough time for that. He has to stay here!" 

Geppetto started for the door. "Pinocchio, my boy," he said sadly, "go in the wardrobe. It is the only way to keep you safe." He left the room, with Jiminy close behind, trying desperately to change his mind.

The boy stared at the wardrobe. This could keep him safe. This could keep him away from the queen's curse. All he had to do was step inside. But, would it matter anyway? If this was really a Land Without Magic, then surely he would turn back to wood if he even tried to go there. No, he had to stay put. Whatever was going to happen to him couldn't be avoided.

...

David will never forget the first moment he saw his daughter. The little tiny person so new in the world, wrapped in the blanket made specially for her. Despite everything, he couldn't help but share a loving smile with his wife. They had made a whole person. That was amazing.

But her face quickly dropped in realization. "The wardrobe..." She mumbled. He met her eyes, barely listening to what she was saying. He was too enamored with the bundle in her arms.

He understood when she finished her words. "It only takes one." She looked into his eyes and he wished there was something he could do to stop the despair in her voice. Both their heads turned at a noise outside the room. It made sense that black knights would show up, but neither of them were prepared for a fight.

"Then our plan has failed," he said. "At least we're together." He smiled down again at his daughter. His Emma. He didn't know how long he'd have with her, so he'd cherish every second of it. Seconds may have been all they had. 

But Snow looked at the baby with conflict on her face. She couldn't really ask this of her daughter, but there was no other option. This was the only way. She looked back at her husband. "No. You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe." She spoke fast, hardly believing the words she was saying.

"Are you out of your mind?" He asked, suddenly understanding her fear.

"No! It's the only way; you have to take her-" she started, having made up her mind.

"No, no, no, no, no. You don't know what you're saying." He was frantic. She couldn't really be suggesting they abandon their daughter?

She shook her head. "No, I do. We have to believe that she'll come back for us. We have to give her her best chance." He knew she was right, but it would never be an easy decision. They would have to say goodbye to their daughter for at least twenty-eight years, assuming they saw her again at all.

They shared another look before the prince leaned down and kissed his infant daughter on the forehead. "Goodbye, Emma," her mother whispered. She gave the baby a kiss on the same spot her husband did, and passed her over without looking. If she didn't do it then, she might never have been able to let go.

He took the baby in his arms and gave his wife what could be their final kiss before running for the door. He drew his sword and turned around one more time. They were running out of time, and he could feel his heart breaking. He turned to the door and rushed away. He heard Snow's sobs in the background and tried to tune them out. He knew this was the right choice, but that didn't make it any easier for either of them.

As he entered the hallway, he wasn't shocked to find black knights already waiting there. He clutched Emma tighter, but was able to battle the knights with ease, despite his one occupied arm. A sword ran across his shoulder, narrowly missing Emma. He knew he would likely die in this fight, but he would get Emma to safety no matter what it took. He finally got rid of both guards and ran for the nursery. He kicked in the door, expecting to look right at the wardrobe.

Instead, he saw a little boy crying in front of it. "Your Highness..." He choked out.

David furrowed his brow. "Pinocchio?" He asked. "What are you doing here?" The boy seemed tired and was clearly afraid of the coming curse.

"My papa..." He started, but had trouble finding the right words. "He lied. The wardrobe can take two. He wanted me to go through. To be safe, but..." He sobbed and rubbed his eyes with his wrists. "I kept thinking about little Emma and how she'd have to grow up alone. If I didn't have my father..." He fell to the floor and cried harder.

The prince smiled gently. "It's ok." He said simply. "He wanted you to be safe. Hide, the black knights are coming." He gave the boy a small nod and slipped into the wardrobe with his baby daughter in his arms.

The black knights had followed David and were shocked to see the room empty. Both the prince and his daughter had disappeared into thin air. They exchanged a glance and quickly left the room to find their queen.

After staying in bed far longer than she could stand it, Snow hobbled into her daughter's nursery. She looked around, but she saw no one in the room. "No!" She cried, slumping down in the middle of the floor. If he wasn't here, the black knights must have taken him first. They must have never made it to the wardrobe. All was lost. "Please..." She said, looking to the sky. "Please come back to me." She didn't know where he would have been taken, but she knew he would always find her.

She heard a noise from behind the wardrobe and looked around frantically. She was in no state to fight, but she picked up the discarded sword on the ground and pointed it out.

She was surprised to find Pinocchio stepping out from behind the wardrobe with his hands up. "Wh-" she started to speak, but didn't have time to finish as she heard footsteps outside the room.

Her eyes filled with fear as the Evil Queen entered. Snow quickly turned to the young boy and gestured him into her arms. She wouldn't be able to offer much protection, but at least it was something. "Why did you do this?" She asked, looking up at her stepmother while still hugging the boy.

Regina smirked and leaned down into her face. "Because this is my happy ending." Snow slowly closed her eyes. She was far too tired to argue right then.

Pinocchio looked up at the Queen, afraid but slightly defiant. "No it's not. You're going to lose." He said quietly. Snow pulled her head back in awe at his bravery.

"Emma is going to break the curse. She went through the wardrobe. With her father." He turned to Snow as he said this and a confused smile spread on her face.

"But only one ca-" 

He cut her off. "Blue lied," he said simply. She didn't know exactly what that meant, but there wasn't time to ponder it as purple smoke started to engulf them.

The roof cracked and the nursery fell to shreds around them. The noise of her home being torn apart was sickening on it's own, but the queen's laughter made it far worse. She ducked and pulled Pinocchio underneath her, afraid of debris falling on them, but everything seemed to be pulling upwards into the smoke. "Where are we going?" She knew she wouldn't get a real answer, but she had to try to ask.

The queen laughed yet again and raised her arms, basking in the destruction around her. "Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine."

...

David woke up on the other side of the portal in the middle of a forest. It was clear from the fallen bark that he had originally come through inside of a tree, but it had blown up with their added mass. Emma was still in his arms, still swaddled in her little white blanket. He bounced her a couple times and gave a victory cheer. They had made it! Snow was left behind to face whatever the curse entailed for her, and he would miss her every second until he found her again, but at least he had Emma. Their family was only partially broken.

He stood up, brushing the dirt from his tunic. Not that it was particularly clean, with the large bloodstain over his shoulder. It hurt like hell, but there wasn't much to be done about it. He walked a bit further out, noticing a small area with no trees. That would be the easiest place to sit down for a moment. He had no idea what kind of creatures lurked in this world, but he needed a rest. A loud noise sounded and he squinted at the sky to see what caused it. There was something flying overhead. It was far too large to be a bird, but if this land truly had no magic, it couldn't be floating either. It was gone as quickly as it had come and David was left in silence once again.

Emma had been crying when they entered the wardrobe, but now she was fast asleep. He stared down at her and gently brushed a finger across her face. She was so beautiful, and he wished Snow was there to see her. He could already see the resemblance to her and knew it would be hard to look at her without seeing Snow.

After taking a moment to rest, he stood up again. The movement startled Emma awake, but she didn't start crying again. "Hey, princess. Your first adventure." He smiled at her again and began to walk through the woods. It seemed mostly the same as the Enchanted Forest, but the strange flying thing was still tugging at his mind. Eventually, he came to a building unlike any he had ever seen before.

It was surrounded by a few carts of some kind, all made out of brightly colored metal. The building itself was painted green and had plenty of windows facing them. There was a sign sitting on the roof that read "Chantey's Lobster House." There were a few benches around it that would make for a good place to rest. But most importantly, there were people. They were dressed strangely, but that was to be expected in a new land. Not a single one of them wore a dress, despite that a good amount were women. He chuckled to himself, knowing Snow would have loved knowing there's a land without ball gowns and corsets.

He got a bit closer to the building and some heads turned his way. A man sitting at the table closest to the door stood up and walked closer. "You good, man?" He asked, staring at the bloodied shirt. His head tilted even further in confusion when he noticed the baby the bloody man was carrying. He had seen enough newborns in his time at the hospital to know that this baby couldn't have been a day old. The other man simply stared blankly and he tried again. "I'm a doctor. I can help with that cut. It looks nasty. How'd that happen?" He again stepped closer and grabbed David's arm. He tugged gently until they were sitting together on a bench.

"Abby, honey, can you come here?" He called back to the table he had been sitting at and a teenaged girl went up to them. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God! Is he gonna be ok?" She asked.

He chuckled at his daughter's concern. "Yeah. I just need to get a look at that wound. Can you hold the baby while I do that? He seems fully aware, but he's unresponsive. I'd hate for him to accidentally jerk and hurt the kid."

The girl reached for the infant, but David pulled her away. He said the only words he could muster in the moment. "No one is taking Emma away from me again." Tears streamed down his face as he said that, finally allowing himself to cry. Everything was starting to sink in. The doctor shared a glance with his daughter.

"Again?" He asked. "That must have been whoever did this to you," he said, gesturing to the wound. "And the mother?" He asked cautiously.

David shook his head and tried to find words. "She's gone," was the only way he could think to put it. It didn't offer much in the way of explanation, but at least it was something.

"Look," the doctor sighed, "I can't help you much here, but I can drive you to the hospital."

David furrowed his brow. "Hos...pital?" He asked, not recognising the word.

The doctor nodded slowly. "You don't know what a hospital is. What's your name?" He asked simply.

"Ch-" his first instinct was to use his nickname. No one called him by his real name anymore, but he figured that would lead to more confusion. "David." He said finally.

"Alright, David. My name is Dr. Green. Do you know what year it is?" He asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

David knew what the answer would have been back home, but this was a different land and everything else was different here. He simply shook his head no.

Dr. Green sighed loudly. "So you must have a concussion. It's going to be ok." He turned to his daughter. "Abby, you stay here with your little brother. I'm going to take them to the hospital." She nodded and sat back down with the little boy at their table.

David's legs were shaky, but he stood up with a little help from Dr. Green. He seemed trustworthy enough, so David reluctantly passed Emma over to him. He was led to one of the strange metal carriages and pushed inside. This one was one of the bigger ones David could see and was painted silver. The seats were covered in crumbs of food and toys were splayed out between them.

"Sorry," the doctor chuckled. "The midsmade a bit of a mess, didn't they?" He nodded at the boy sitting down with Abby. "Buckle up," he said, handing Emma back to her father. David didn't understand the direction and sat still, now holding Emma's face in his hand.

Dr. Green sighed. "Whoever did this must have really done a number on you?" He reluctantly reached over and buckled the passenger seatbelt.

The drive was quiet. David didn't have much to say, and Dr. Green wasn't sure he would answer any questions. Or if he even could answer them. It was strange. He had enough memories to know that someone had tried to take his daughter, but he didn't know what a hospital was. His clothes were odd too, but the doctor hadn't had time to notice them before. While at a stoplight, he looked over at the other man. His clothes were straight out of the middle ages. Maybe he was a time traveler, Dr. Green joked to himself. He had never been one to believe much in magic, but he never ruled much out either. Stranger things have happened, he always figured.

The baby began crying and David finally spoke. "Hey, Emma. It's going to be alright." He rocked her gently.

"Emma," the doctor repeated. "That's a pretty name. How'd you decide on it?" He tried to see if that would get an answer.

David hesitated only for a second. "It was my wife's idea. She always said that's what she would name a girl."

The doctor nodded. "So, when you say she's gone..?" He trailed off. "Is she..?"

David shook his head hard. "She's not dead!" He burst out startling Emma into momentary silence. He added, a little quieter, "she can't be dead. They wouldn't have killed her."

"Who?

"The black knights." David spat the name, like saying it would burn his tongue. Dr. Green had never heard of a gang by that name, but he wasn't too familiar with the crime world around here.

They arrived at the hospital just a minute later and Dr. Green helped David out of the van. "I'll help you get checked in, but then I have to go back to the diner." He ushered them inside and led them to the waiting room while he had an animated conversation with the man behind the desk.

For a land with no magic, there seemed to be plenty of magic. There was a small screen sitting on top of a table in the middle of the chairs. On it, there was a man in a chair with some words scrolling by underneath him. David thought they were too fast to read and gave up trying. The video itself was grainy, but still amazed David completely. "Look, Emma," he pointed and whispered, trying to get her to quiet down. He should have known how to comfort his daughter, but the world had been too upside down for the past few months for him to think much about the future.

Dr. Green came back and sat next to him. "Tell 'er a story. That always worked with my girls." He said. David nodded and looked back at the small bundle under the blanket.

"Once," he began, "there was a princess. The most beautiful princess there had ever been. Her name was Snow White." Dr. Green smiled, recalling how Abby had loved that story, but David's version had so many twists he'd never heard.

"I've never heard anyone tell Snow White like that," he said.

David scrunched his nose and opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but no words came out.

A nurse walked in and pointed at Dr. Green. He pushed David in her direction and gave a quick goodbye and some well wishes before heading out.

Emma went quiet in David's arms as they sat in the chair they had been directed to. His mind went once again to Snow. She would have found this strange world fascinating. They would have already explored more by now, but David appreciated taking things in at a slower pace. Especially now that he had Emma to think of. "We'll find her, baby girl," he whispered into her bald head. "We will always find her."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one just kinda sets up everything to where it needs to be for the rest of the story. I think things will get a lot more interesting from here, though. The second half of this is the part I've been wanting to write since I had this idea.

"Hey, dad?" Emma asked as her father walked her home from school one day. She was now seven years old, and dealing with a group of first graders. She was often ridiculed for her dad's belief in fairy tales. It was no secret that most of the town thought he was crazy. Usually, it didn't bother her, but the other kids had been particularly mean that day.

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"Is..." She wasn't sure how to phrase her question. "Are you really a prince?" She settled on that, though it didn't nearly convey everything she was thinking.

David chuckled. "You know that. I've told you the story of how I took my brother's place and slayed the dragon a million times."

She rolled her eyes. "I know the story, but I mean for real?"

"The story is real," he said, stepping ahead of her. He crouched down so he was level with her eyes. "Hey, I know not many people believe in magic here, but I promise it's real. You'll see it all on your twenty-eighth birthday when we break the curse. And that's when we'll find your mother." He brushed some hair out of her eyes and smiled gently.

Emma loved her dad. She had always been enamored with him, but she could never shake the feeling that he was strange. He wasn't like any of her friends' dads. He still didn't know how to drive, and she was starting to think he was never going to learn. He was still fascinated by things like the TV and even the radio. Whether or not he was from a different world, he certainly believed he was.

"I know... I just don't want to wait that long," she said. She often wondered who her mother was. Though, part of her really believed she was Snow White. She wanted to believe that desperately, but she found it hard to accept. In truth, she knew she would likely never meet her mother. She had left or died or something and that was that. She liked the idea that she would find her and save her from a horrible curse, but she knew it was too good to be true.

So, their family consisted of David and his little girl. That's all they were, and she loved it. Sometimes, it was impossible to tell which one of them took care of the other. They lived in a small town in Maine, and most of the people there were fairly judgemental. This was the closest town to where they came through the portal, and moving would have been hard without any kind of documentation, so they stayed and built a life for themselves.

...

Time moved forward, and suddenly little Emma wasn't so little anymore. She was 18 and now living in Portland. She didn't talk to her dad anymore, but she assumed he was still in that little town in Maine. He hadn't moved in the first 18 years of her life, why would he now?

Of course, she ended up going back to their little town and back in with her father. She wasn't particularly happy about it, but she didn't have anyone else. She had a boyfriend, but he left her. So, when she realised she was pregnant, she decided to go home. Of course, she still wasn't happy about being the crazy guy's daughter, so she left after her son was born. She put him up for adoption and never looked back.

She moved to Boston and the rest of her life could have been quiet and boring. She could have forgotten all about the small town that thought her father was insane, or the baby whose face she never even looked at, but had that happened, there would be no need to tell this story.

Emma had an apartment and a calm life, albeit lonely. Her twenty-eighth birthday came and the thought of the curse she was raised to break only barely passed through her mind. She set a cupcake down on the counter in front of her and put in one candle. "If magic is real," she whispered, "please don't let me be alone for another year."

She blew out the small fire and was going to go to bed when the doorbell rang. "Umm, can I help you?" She asked, noticing the young boy at the door to her apartment.

He looked past her to the room inside. "Are you Emma Swan?" He asked.

She furrowed her brow. "Yeah. Who are you?"

The little boy smiled up at her. "My name's Henry. I'm your son." He started walking into the apartment, startling her.

"Woah, hey, kid! Kid!" She started, trying to get him to stop. "Kid!" She shouted louder, but it fell on deaf ears. "I don't have a son! Where are your parents?" She finally exclaimed.

He shook his head and sat down on a chair. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" She stared blankly, suddenly understanding where this kid came from. "That was me." He finished, noting the recognition on her face.

"Now," he said as he opened her fridge and found a bottle of orange juice. "You're going to take me home. The town I'm from is... strange and I need another outsider to see it."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Strange? What kind of strange?"

He sighed. "You won't believe me. That's why you have to take me there and see it for yourself. I'm not leaving until you do."

She looked at him, and could tell he meant that. She was sure his real parents were worried, so she agreed. "Alright. Where's this town?"

"It's called Storybrooke. It's a little town in Maine." He started for the door, eager to get back soon with Emma in tow.

"Kid, there's no town in Maine called that. I lived in Main my whole childhood. I'd definitely remember one with a name like that."

He shook his head. "Of course you haven't. No one has. It's like it doesn't exist.

She had to admit that she was intrigued by his insistence that the town was off somehow. Though she was mostly curious how this kid was so much like the grandfather he'd never even met.

So Emma and Henry headed off to Storybrooke, Maine. On the way, he explained to her some of the oddities of this town. He said no one there ages. (To which he had been right earlier that Emma would not believe this.) He explained how time must be frozen because he, an outsider adopted from a different place, was the only student at his school who moved up a grade every year. When they got there, the clock tower in the middle of town was stopped at 8:15. Henry explained that it's because time was frozen, but Emma just rolled her eyes.

"Alright kid, you got an address?" She asked.

"Forty-four not-telling-you street." He replied smugly. She rolled her eyes again, deciding it better to not flip off the ten year old. She parked the car and they walked into the nearest building. It was labelled "Granny's" and it seemed quaint enough. If Emma knew one thing about small towns, it was that someone there would know what his address was.

As soon as they got in, they were greeted by a waitress who Emma thought was way too perky for that time of night. "Hello!" She called. "Henry, where were you today? Mayor Mills was worried sick about you!"

He scrunched his nose up at her. "No she wasn't, she just pretended she was," he said sadly. "Besides, I found my real mom!" He shouted, running farther into the restaurant.

Emma started after him, but the blonde waitress stopped her. "Granny and Ruby will calm him down. All they have to do is make some hot chocolate with cinnamon," she explained. She paused for a second. "Are you really his birth mother?"

Emma opened her mouth to answer, but that's when she noticed that the girl she was talking to was definitely asking because she herself was pregnant. "Uhh, yeah. I guess so." She managed to choke out, suddenly realising for the first time that she had a son.

"My name's Ashley." She said, giving Emma a reassuring smile. "People don't really visit Storybrooke often, so get ready for a lot of attention." She laughed and it was a very cheerful sound.

"Oh, I'm not staying." Emma said. "I'm just dropping the kid off. I'll let his real mom take care of him."

Ashley nodded. "Where are you from then? Going back there?"

"Well," Emma froze for a second, unsure why she was telling all this to a complete stranger. "I live in Boston so I'm just going to go home now. But I actually grew up in a town really close to here. Maybe I should visit my dad while I'm in the area. I haven't talked to him since... God, since Henry was born."

Ashley's face softened. "You should go see him. My dad died when I was young. I'd give anything to see him again."

Emma gave her an awkward smile. "Oh. Well, my dad is... a lot." She didn't know how to explain it, but figured that would be enough. It didn't satisfy Ashley's curiosity, though.

"Oh? What does that mean?" She pried.

"He..." Emma sighed. "Promise you won't think I'm insane?" Ashley nodded and Emma went on. "He thinks he's a prince from a fairytale. I know, weird right?"

Ashley laughed. "So Henry's crazy is genetic," she deadpanned.

"Yeah. What exactly is up with him anyway? He said that no one in this town ages." Emma asked.

"Honestly, I don't know exactly what he thinks is going on, but he's convinced time is frozen. He says he feels bad for me because I've been pregnant for twenty-eight years. I haven't even been alive that long!" She laughed. "He's got quite the imagination."

"Yeah. Well, it was good to meet you, but I should head home. If I stay too long, Henry might start getting ideas that I'm not leaving."

Ashley nodded and smiled sadly. "I bet he'd like to have you in his life. I'd give anything to keep my daughter..." She trailed off and shook her head, realising she was over-sharing. "Nevermind. I'll let you get on your way." She walked back behind the counter and started writing something down.

Emma didn't want to linger too long, so she left right away. As she walked back to her car, she thought about Ashley's words. She wanted to know what she meant about keeping her daughter, but ultimately decided it was none of her business.

She left town and started on the road back to Boston. But something in her earlier conversation was nagging at her. She hadn't talked to her dad is ten years. Could she really go back to see him now? This was closer to her home town than she had been in a long time. Leaving was the best decision she ever made, she was sure of that, but one visit certainly couldn't hurt.

She made up her mind and sharply turned right, starting on the road home. This entire area was surrounded by woods, but she recognised the streets easily. She came to the little diner where she had been found as a baby with her father.

When she finally got to the house she grew up in, she parked on the street. She would be welcome in the driveway, she knew, but she didn't really feel like she was home. She stepped out of the car and walked to the door, her stomach twisting in knots.

Her father, now much older and with more grey hair and wrinkles, opened the door after hearing her knock. It was late, far later than anyone usually came to see him, so he had no clue who could be there. He stared at her for a second in utter shock. It had been too long since he had seen his daughter, but he would recognise the face that looked so much like her mother's anywhere. "Emma.." he started, waving her inside.

"Hey, dad," she said, though it barely came out as a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the curse is just a tiny bit different. It's the same but things are slightly worse, I guess. It always struck me as odd that Regina cast a curse to make Snow suffer and then she didn't really suffer? Like, I get that being away from Charming made her sad and lonely, but she had a job she loved and a safe home and other friends. She didn't even know that she was missing her husband and daughter. She wasn't really suffering all that much. So yeah, Regina is meaner in this story.

David quickly ushered his daughter into the house, tearing up a little at how happy he was to see her. "Emma. I... Where have you been?" He would never admit that he was angry with her for leaving, but it still slipped out. His daughter had left him and hadn't come back for ten years. Though, he was mostly just concerned about what could bring her back now.

"I've been," she paused and took a breath, "living in Boston. I know I should have at least visited, but Dad..."

He put his hand up to stop her. "I understand. It's ok," he said. He didn't really believe that, but he was happy enough to have her back that he would save the argument for another day.

Suddenly, he realised what day it was and looked up at her. "Happy birthday," he offered meekly. "I suppose I'm a bad father for not knowing how old you are now?"

She smiled a little. Her dad was many things, but a bad father was never one of them. She knew he loved her and she did love him too, but both of them were very stubborn. She had grown up with his stories of the curse that supposedly took them away from their home, so she knew how he would react to her next statement. "I'm twenty-eight now."

His eyes widened. Emma's twenty-eighth birthday. She was going to break the curse. He would see Snow again. "Really?" He sat down in a dining chair, suddenly finding it hard to catch his breath.

Emma sighed. "Look, I know you think this is some special day but can we just be normal for a bit, Dad? We can talk about breaking curses tomorrow, ok?"

He swallowed and nodded slowly. If the prophecy was true, she would have to break the curse soon. He just had to be patient, and right then, that meant not mentioning it. Emma had believed when she was very young, but not much past that. He didn't know if the prophecy was dependant on her belief or not, but he assumed she'd believe soon enough. "Of course, Emma. Why don't I take you for some birthday ice cream?"

She smiled at the old tradition of theirs. Memories of going for ice cream together washed over her.

...

David smiled and looked at his daughter across the booth from him. She was laughing and shoving amounts of ice cream in her mouth that she would regret later, and the sight was perfect to him. He wished he could have shared that moment with his wife, but he knew Emma's birthday just meant one year closer to seeing her again.

"Happy birthday, sweetie," he said. "I can't believe my baby's already eleven!" 

She smiled up at him. "I'm not a baby anymore. I'm about to start middle school," she declared proudly. 

He chuckled and reached across the table to grab her hand. "I love you, Emma," he said.

...

Emma hadn't thought about that day in years, but she suddenly remembered how happy she had been. She hadn't had many friends, so she couldn't have a party and she didn't like cake, so birthday cake was out. She had been sulking, sad that there was nothing to do to celebrate her birthday, until her father came in and told her they were getting ice cream. Ever since then, they had done it every year. Every year until she left, that is.

But now, they stood in the driveway, ready to pick their tradition back up. Of course, Emma would have to drive since David had never learned. He was a little afraid to even ride in cars, and he couldn't imagine driving one. 

Emma climbed in the driver's seat of her little bug and watched as David opened the passenger door. He went to sit down, but stopped at something on his seat. A child's backpack sat there, and Emma had a feeling that leaving it was no accident. "Sneaky bastard," she whispered. She had to admire the kid's intellect, and she silently hoped he got that from her.

"Emma, why do you have this?" David asked. He knew she had a son; he had been there when he was born. But he had also been there when she gave him up for adoption, so he didn't figure she had much of a relationship with him. She might have had more, but that was very unlikely.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you over ice cream."

...

They sat on a bench and stared into the night sky. Emma explained how Henry had found her, and reluctantly told her dad about his theories on the town. She knew he would make a huge deal out of the whole magic thing, but she needed to confide in someone and he was the only person there.

"So this town, no one ages?" He asked, intrigued. He figured it couldn't be a coincidence that magic had come into her life on that day specifically.

Emma snorted. "How did I know you'd believe it? No, I'm sure it's a normal town. I'll have to go back tomorrow to bring the kid his bag. You can come along and see just how normal it is."

He beamed at her, excited to see this town. He knew she was probably right and that the town was likely a normal place, but he couldn't help but hope. The town's name had caught his attention, too. Storybrooke. He knew the world saw everyone from his land as characters from stories, but he wasn't sure that Regina had the sense of humor to call the town that.

...

For David, the night could not have crawled by slower. He barely slept, already thinking of what might await him in Storybrooke. He was also excited at the idea of meeting his grandson, who he had assumed he would never get the chance to see.

The drive to Storybrooke was silent, though David wasn't surprised. Emma had always been a fairly quiet girl and he had no clue what he could possibly say to her.

They crossed the town line and David took in all the sights around him. There weren't any people out, so he couldn't tell if anyone he recognised was there, but he had a feeling. His heart sank when he didn't recognise the first person they saw. He knew there were people in the kingdom he had never met, but he was hoping to find someone he knew.

Emma and David got out of the car and started walking. Emma said she had found a restaurant when she was there the previous night and that someone there would probably know where Henry was to bring him his bag.

They entered into Granny's and David's eyes lit up as he saw Red waiting tables. She was dressed in very short shorts and a low-cut shirt that she would have never been caught dead in in the Enchanted Forest. Though, he wasn't used to seeing much of her skin since it was always covered by her cloak.

Emma noticed Ashley behind the counter and walked up. "Emma!" She exclaimed. "You came back. I thought you were leaving for good."

"I was. I mean, I am. Henry left his backpack in my car. Do you know his address, so I can get it back to him?"

Ashley nodded. "Mhm, but please stay and have a meal here before you go. We don't get to treat outsiders very often."

Emma sighed, knowing that she wouldn't take no for an answer. "Alright, but I can't stay too long. I need to get him back home anyway." She gestured over her shoulder at David standing behind her.

"Is that your dad?" Ashley asked, hope filling her voice. At Emma's nod she smiled. "So you took my advice. I knew he'd be happy to have you back."

Ashley led Emma and David to a table and they sat down together. They ordered food and still barely exchanged any words. They drank hot chocolate with cinnamon, a drink they had both always loved. David was just about to take a sip when the door opened and he dropped his mug. It hit the floor and shattered, spilling chocolate everywhere, but he didn't even notice. His eyes were trained on the woman who had just walked through the door.

He stood up and lunged toward the door, catching the attention of the diner's other patrons. "You did this! You took her away from me!" He roared, swinging his fist up. Regina was shocked to see him, but overcame it quickly enough to play the victim. "I've never met you before. I don't have any idea what you're talking about." She said, catching his fist before it made contact with her face.

"Don't, Regina. Emma is twenty-eight now. Rumple's prophecy will come true and she will break your curse." At that, Emma stood up and pulled her father back to the table.

"I'm so sorry. My dad is... He doesn't really know what he's talking about. I think we should go. I just need to return this first." She held up the backpack, hoping the other woman would recognise it.

"That's my son's!" She paused for a second, remembering what Ruby had told her happened the night before. "So you're Henry's birth mother." She looked at the floor, thoughts racing through her mind. What were the odds of her adopting Snow White's grandson? It had to have been fate.

Regina snatched the bag from Emma and left without saying another word. David started to follow her, but Emma held him back. "Emma... She knows where Snow is." He pleaded, but she rolled her eyes.

"Please don't be like this today, dad. I just want to get out of here." He sighed.

"We're not leaving until I find Snow. I've waited too long to give up now." His face was determined, and Emma knew there was no arguing with him. She would play along, at least for a bit. She knew it would make Henry happy, too. 

...

Snow stared ahead, not really seeing anything. She heard a noise and figured the dragon outside the room was moving around. She still didn't really know where she was, even after being there for so long, but she knew she was being guarded by Maleficent, who had a personal vendetta against her and was all too happy to help Regina. She finally turned toward the noise and was surprised to see Regina at the door, a big smile plastered on her face.

Snow rolled her eyes and looked away again. "What do you want, Regina?" She asked, eyes glued to the floor in front of her.

Regina laughed and stepped closer, turning Snow's chin up to look at her. "You really don't know what day it is, do you?" She said, trying to see any recognition in Snow's eyes. "Yesterday was twenty-eight years from the day my curse was cast." She laughed. "Your Emma didn't save you."

Snow's eyes teared up. How had it been that long? She had tried to keep hope, but it was getting harder every day she was away from her family. Now, Emma's twenty-eighth birthday had passed, and they still weren't together again. Had something gone wrong? Was Rumple wrong? 

Snow pulled away and sat down on the bed where she had slept all these years. "Did you come just to taunt me, or did you have a reason?" She asked, trying not to react too hard to the news. She couldn't let Regina see how little hope she had left.

"I just needed to make sure you knew, dear." She said with a sickly sweet tone. She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Snow stared into the mirror on the back of the door. Over the years, she had tried many times to cover it or smash it, but it was enchanted. She knew Regina could watch her through it at any time, and her stomach still turned at that thought.

Her reflection stared back at her, letting her see the tears stream down her face. Her hair was matted, though much shorter than it used to be. The curse had given her a pixie cut, and it hadn't grown at all since time stood still. Her skin was even paler than she had a reputation for, having not seen sun in twenty-eight years. She missed the open forests where she had spent her days as a bandit. At the time, she couldn't have imagined longing for the rough life in the woods, but it was certainly better than being Regina's prisoner.

She wasn't sure why Regina hadn't killed her yet. She certainly didn't want to die, still having enough hope that someone would find her. Emma may not have come to break the curse, but she knew Charming would find her. She had no doubts that he would keep his promise, even if it took his whole life. 

Snow still knew very little about the world the curse had brought them to. She knew it was a land without magic, but that was just about it. She knew a bit about the clothes in this land; Regina was cruel, but not cruel enough to keep her from changing clothes. She found her simple white nightgown much more comfortable than the ball gowns she had worn as a princess, and she even preferred it over her bandit's clothes that she had gotten so used to while on the run.

Her new clothes were the only thing she knew about the new land, despite having been there so long. Not that she had actually been able to leave the one little room the whole time. She was still a bit confused, since The Dark One had told her the curse would take away her memories, but they were still perfectly intact. She often wondered if everyone else from her kingdom were near, in their own little rooms. She hadn't talked to anyone other than Regina since the curse hit, and she usually felt lonely. She missed Charming more than anything, but she knew he would find her.

In the early days of the curse, Snow had tried hard to escape. But the dragon outside the door quickly destroyed all hope of leaving in one piece. She was never patient, and waiting around to be rescued was not her style, but it was her only option. So, she sat in her little room with no windows in complete isolation, waiting for someone - anyone - to find her.

"Emma," she whispered, hoping that somehow she would hear. "I know you're coming soon."

...

Emma and David had decided to stay in this strange little town, so they got a room at Granny's. After checking in and getting their room ready for their stay, they went on a walk around town.

David was overjoyed by all the familiar faces. Seeing Red at the diner had been nice, but it was good to see so many different people he knew. Of course, he was sad that none of them knew him, but he knew that would change soon. He still had yet to find Snow, which was his main priority.

He was looking around, not really focusing on whatever Emma was saying when he bumped into a man with a cane.

"Excuse me," the man said with a heavy accent. It took David a moment to recognise him, as his appearance was completely different in this world.

"Rumplestiltskin," he muttered. "There's no way you would let yourself be put under the Queen's curse," he added, a bit louder.

Emma rolled her eyes and tried to step in. "Da-"

He put a hand on her arm. "Emma, I know he's awake!"

The man stood straighter for a second and looked at David with something new in his eyes. He turned to Emma and finally spoke after a too-long silence. "Emma. What a lovely name."

She smiled awkwardly. "Thanks." She turned back to her dad. "Look, I think I'm just going to go back to our room. Don't be too weird to the townspeople, ok?" 

David nodded and Emma left. After she was a ways away, the man with the cane spoke again.

"Nice to see you again, Your Highness." He said with a smirk.

David smiled wider, glad to speak to someone else who remembered where they were from. He was never one to beat around the bush, and twenty-eight years in the land without magic hadn't changed that. "Emma turned twenty-eight yesterday. Why didn't the curse break?" He asked.

"Well, dearie," Rumple replied. "I said she would return on her twenty-eighth birthday, not that she would break the curse that day. Give her time. I doubt she even knows how yet."

David sighed. "She doesn't even believe it's real. She thinks I'm crazy. I've tried so hard to get her to believe. She did when she was little, but she stopped and..." He stopped himself, realizing that pouring his heart out to the Dark One was never a good plan. He shook his head and changed the subject. "Do you know where Snow is? I can't find her anywhere."

Rumple took a beat to think, but eventually frowned back at David. "Sorry, I don't think I've seen her in town at all. Whatever Regina did to her, she's not here with the rest of us." David's heart sank. Where could she be?

...

Emma was way too tired to follow her dad around any longer and watch him terrorize the townsfolk with his crazy ideas. She knew she shouldn't leave him alone, but it seemed like the man with the cane had something to talk to him about.

She started walking back to the room at Granny's, wanting to get a bit more sleep, when she was stopped by someone she hadn't met yet.

"Hey!" He called, catching her attention and getting her to stop. "My name is Sheriff Graham. We don't get a lot of visitors around here, so I've been excited to meet you," he said.

"Emma," she replied, "Swan. I grew up in a little town too, so I get what you mean." There was a pause and just a bit of awkward silence. "Umm... Anyway. I was just heading back to my room at Granny's. I'll uh... see you around." She said.

As she was walking away, she watched him pull out his phone and dial a number, but she didn't stick around to listen to the call.

...

"Regina?" Graham asked as she answered the phone.

"Yes this is Regina. You did call my number, after all," she snapped. "What is it?"

"I talked to the girl, the one from out of town. She seems... normal to me. I don't think she's the threat you've made her out to be."

"I'll decide who is or isn't a threat!" Regina yelled and hung up the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is a little anti-Regina, but won't be through the whole story, I promise. I love Regina's character and her relationship with Henry, but the story kind of calls for Henry to be scared of the queen.

Snow and Charming layed together on the forest floor, her cloak draped over them like a blanket. The weather was just starting to turn warm and the last bits of snow were melting off the ground, but they had found a dry patch.

"You know," she laughed, running a hand through his hair, "once we take back the kingdom, we'll have to rule it. We won't be able to sneak off like this then."

He gave her a slightly sad smile and leaned his head into her shoulder. "Honestly, I've been so busy thinking about how to take back the kingdom that I haven't thought about what happens after. You'll be a wonderful ruler. You were raised to rule your kingdom one day, after all."

"So were you," she reminded and he tensed.

"Snow..." He closed his eyes. It had been a couple months since breaking her curse, but they hadn't had much alone time and he never quite figured out how to tell her who he really was. "I have to tell you something."

She sat up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "You can tell me anything, James. You know that."

He looked up at her with a half smile, and sat up with her. "That's just it. I'm not James. James was my brother."

Her eyebrows shot up, but she didn't care who he was, only that she loved him. "I see. Then I guess I'll just have to keep calling you Charming until you tell me your name."

So she did. He was Charming to her, and James to the rest of the kingdom. A third name would only complicate things after all, so he never bothered telling her what his real name was. Charming felt far more real to him, anyway.

...

Snow's memories of the Enchanted Forest had gotten foggy after being away for so long, but the nights under the stars with her true love were still crystal clear to her.

That particular memory had been the subject of many of her dreams lately. She sat up in her bed, her face a little wet from crying. She wiped her cheeks and slowly stood up. She walked to the wardrobe at the end of the room and picked out another dress to change into. She had no real reason to change clothes and comb her hair every day, but she still always did. Regina was the only one who ever came to visit her, and even that had been rare lately. 

Having her greatest enemy alone and trapped at her feet must have been wonderful at first, Snow thought. Snow's suffering was all Regina had wanted since that fateful day when she was a child. But Snow knew revenge wasn't going to be everything Regina truly wanted. She almost pitied her stepmother, always with a hole in her heart. Snow wasn't surprised when Regina stopped coming in every day. The situation had lost it's glamour. She only wished Regina would realise that and finally let her go.

She had long since given up hope that Regina would let her leave, so she waited for someone to come find her. She hated the waiting, hated not being able to escape by herself. Years as the most wanted bandit in the Enchanted Forest, and she couldn't even get out of that little room. The door was unlocked, she knew; it was always unlocked. Getting past it was never the issue. It was the dragon on the other side. It had been made abundantly clear to her that Maleficent would not hesitate to kill her if she stepped through that door. She had considered it plenty. She could just let the dragon burn her, be done with all the waiting, but she wouldn't do it. Not yet. Not while she still had hope. 

...

Emma was both intrigued and annoyed by the strangeness of this town. Something was off for sure. She didn't believe there was any curse causing it, but she knew whatever it was could be traced back to the mayor. Emma and her father had only been staying there for three days, and she could already see the way everyone seemed to fear Mayor Mills. How someone so hated got elected, Emma had no idea. Either no one else knew, or they were reluctant to tell an outsider, so she had to gather information in the old fashioned way. A stakeout.

She was sitting in the park across from the mayor's office. She would have preferred to do this in her car, but Neal's yellow bug stood out far too much. She couldn't risk Regina seeing her. Regina's window was open, leaving Emma with a good view into her office. She wasn't doing much interesting, though Emma wondered what kind of paperwork sh-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. "You know, stalking the mayor on your third day in town isn't a great idea. I might just have to arrest you." The sheriff sat down next to her with a teasing smile.

"I'm not stalking anyone. I'm just... trying to understand her." She supposed it was partially stalking, but saying otherwise was true enough that she didn't feel bad about it.

"Well," Graham said. "How would you like to legally stalk her instead? I've been looking for a deputy, and one willing to stand up to Regina is an interesting possibility."

Emma raised a brow and turned to look at him. "Are you offering me a job, Graham?"

He stood up and started to walk away, only to turn around again. "I suppose I am. Think about it." He said, and left Emma sitting alone again.

...

David was in their room at Granny's, plotting how he was going to find Snow when Emma came back in, looking confused.

"Hey, Em. What's going on?" He asked.

She sat down on the bed and looked at the wall, avoiding his gaze. "We're planning to stay a while, aren't we? I think..." She trailed off for a second, not sure she really wanted to stay the next words. "I think we should find a real place. And jobs." Graham's words had stuck either her. She wanted to accept, but she didn't know if she could.

David nodded. "Yeah. That's a good idea. Why do you bring it up?" He didn't think his daughter had any interest in staying. He was sure she was only there to keep him in check.

Emma swallowed. "Um... Graham offered me a job. As his deputy, but I'm not going to take it. I'll find something else."

David smiled faintly at that. Snow would have loved her daughter working with the huntsman who spared her all those years ago. "Why not? That seems like it would be good for you."

Emma snorted. "I can't work in law enforcement, Dad." 

"Why not?" He joked. "Following the rules is too hard for you?"

She glared at him and decided to tell him the real reason. "I can't work in law enforcement because I have a criminal record," she revealed.

His eyebrows shot up into his hair. "You what? Was that during the ten years you were away?"

She sighed. "No. It... it was before Henry was born. Henry's dad was... He stole some watches and I took the fall."

David stood up and hugged his daughter. She had never told him what happened with Henry's father, but David had enough sense to tell that he hurt her badly. He hoped he would never meet Henry's father. If he did, he may have to darken his heart just a little.

...

Henry was frustrated. He hadn't seen Emma since the first day he brought her to town, but he knew she was still there. And she had her dad, no less. His grandpa. He had never had grandparents before. He knew his mom's - Regina's, not Emma's. He would have to find a way to separate the two - dad was long dead, and she had never mentioned her mom. 

Of course, he had given it some time to make sure Emma was really going to stay. That she was going to help him figure out what was going on in their sleepy little town. Now that he had no doubts she would be there a while, he ducked out the window of his bedroom and grabbed onto the big oak tree.

Funny, he thought, that his mother had been upset that he snuck out, so she left him in the same room he had snuck out of in the first place. He was ten and he had just outsmarted the mayor. He giggled to himself as he walked towards Granny's. He knew that's where Emma would be staying.

He went in through the back, the inn side rather than the diner, and went straight to the rooms. Only one of them was in use, and the other two doors were wide open. The unused doors being open had always struck him odd, but he supposed there was never any crime in Storybrooke anyway.

He knocked on the one closed door, expecting Emma to answer, but finding his grandpa instead. "You must be Henry," he said. "Come, sit."

Henry skipped into the room and sat down with his grandpa. Yes, his grandpa. How exciting! David - Henry had learned his name - brought him a glass of juice and they talked for a while.

"So," David said, "Emma told me that you think time is frozen here. That no one ages?"

Henry tensed. Of course his grandpa thought he was crazy too. Everyone thought he was crazy. "It's true!" He defended himself.

David smiled lovingly, thinking how stubborn this kid was. "I believe you. I think I know the reason why," he offered and Henry's face lit up.

David explained the curse, who he was, and how his family had been split apart. Henry accepted it all with very few questions, which David found impressive. Few people in this land believed in magic at all, but Henry did with his whole heart.

"I'm a prince? Cool! Can you teach me how to use a sword?" Henry asked. David laughed. This was most certainly his grandson. He remembered fondly his first sword fighting lesson all those years ago with 'Joan.'

"Why don't we break the curse and find your grandma, then fight with swords?" He laughed.

Henry nodded. "Let's do it! We'll call it Operation Cobra!" He announced.

"Why Cobra?"

"Because it just is," Henry pouted as he crossed his arms. 

The gesture was so much like Snow that David stood up and hugged Henry. His new partner may have only been ten years old, but they would work together to break the curse. The queen would lose, after all this time. David's eyes went wide thinking about the queen. "Henry, isn't Regina your adoptive mother?"

Henry nodded slowly, seeing panic deep into his grandpa's face.

David sighed. "She's-" he put his head in his hands. How could he tell this kid that his mother was evil? "She's the one who cast this curse, The Evil Queen. She's dangerous, Henry."

Again, Henry nodded slowly. "She's mean. I knew that already. But... she's my mom. I have to stay with her. I wish I could just live here with you and Emma!"

David's heart broke, wanting that more than anything. He just wanted his family back in one piece. That meant keeping Henry away from the woman who had been trying to kill him and his wife for years. It didn't seem like she had hurt Henry at all yet, but she didn't know that he was Snow's grandson. Now that she did, there's no way he would be safe in that house.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma sighed as she walked into the sheriff's station. She decided to at least tell Graham why she couldn't accept the job. She explained her history with law enforcement and how she preferred being a bail bonds person because she didn't have to play by the rules. Not a great thing to tell a cop, but Graham was trustworthy enough.

He laughed when she finished. "I don't care that you have a record. Sure, you couldn't become a big city officer, but things are a little different here. The rules are more slack."

She raised an eyebrow as he stood up and went digging through his desk. A minute later, he pulled out a badge and pinned it to her shirt. "Welcome aboard, Deputy Swan," he said.

...

David decided he needed to hide Henry. Of course, that wouldn't look very good to anyone in this land. He certainly couldn't explain to Emma why he was taking a child from his mother, but Henry had to be protected. Once the curse broke, everyone would thank him for looking out for the kid. 

So, he went to the only other person he knew was awake: Mr. Gold. Gold would agree that Henry had to be protected; David knew he had a soft spot for kids, but never knew why. Gold would also know where in the town he could hide.

David walked into the shop and looked around to make sure they were alone. Gold turned around and watched him curiously. "Your Highness," he said drily, "what can I do for you?"

David closed his eyes and stepped closer to the counter. "Henry. Now that Regina knows he's Snow's grandson, he won't be safe with her. I need..." He swallowed, already hating this entire situation. "I need to hide him. To keep him safe."

Gold looked thoughtful for a moment, but he eventually spoke. "Yes, yes. I suppose so. Regina does love him, but she killed her own father to cast the curse, so who knows what she'd do for revenge?"

Of course, he knew Regina wouldn't hurt Henry. He had watched her raise him after all, and the love she had for him was obvious. Seeing the future was harder without magic, he could only make out fuzzy images, but he knew that hiding Henry would lead to the curse being broken. Hiding Henry would get Bae back to him.

David gulped. "So where can he hide? She created this town, she must know every inch of it."

Gold thought again, and then said "The clock tower. There's a library underneath it. It's always locked, so no one ever goes in there. Regina has the one key, but if you take it, she won't be able to get in either and Henry will be safe. There's even a basement underneath it for extra security. Though, I have no idea what's down there."

So it was decided; Henry would be taken to the library under the clock tower.

...

Henry loved his mother. Of course he did. She raised him and always had love for him. He wasn't sure he completely believed his grandfather that she was evil. How could someone so terrible care about him so much? But his longing for adventure overpowered even that love, so he agreed to steal her keyring and hide in the clocktower.

Getting the keys was easy. He knew where his mom kept everything in her immaculately organized office. He just had to go in and grab them. No one had even though twice about him entering.

He took the key and that night, he and David snuck into the library. They set out two sleeping bags and an array of snacks. A sleepover with his grandpa. He liked the sound of that. David told him stories of the Enchanted Forest until he finally fell asleep.

...

Regina flipped on the light in her son's room. She could see the lump under the blanket, but Henry didn't stir. She walked closer and pulled the blanket off of him, needing to get him up for school. But he wasn't there. There was a pile of clothes under the blanket. He had run away again. He had already found Emma, what else could he possibly need to leave for?

She was still in her pajamas, but she threw on a coat and ran to the sheriff's station. She had been expecting to run into Graham, but instead Emma was there. "Miss Swan, what are you doing here?"

Emma glared at her, but her face softened when she noticed the worry in Regina's eyes. "I'm... um... the new deputy. Graham hired me yesterday."

Regina's eyebrows shot up. She wasn't sure Graham was even able to do that without her permission, whether for legal reasons or because she had his heart, but she didn't have time to poke that particular bear. "Well then, deputy, I have a crime to report."

Emma nodded, prompting her to continue. "Henry went missing again. I tucked him in last night, and he wasn't there this morning."

The fear in Emma's face was well hidden, but clear to Regina who was also experienced in hiding her emotions. A mother's fear. No, she reminded herself, Emma is not his mother.

The two women talked for a while about where Henry could have gone, until Graham came back with coffee. They filled him in and the three worked together to figure out what happened.

"He left to find you once," Graham suggested. "Could he have been looking for his father too?"

Emma shook her head. "No way. Ne- his dad doesn't want to be found. Trust me. But he could have gone looking to spend some time with my dad. He would definitely want to know his grandpa."

Regina stood up straighter. There was no way in hell her son would befriend Charming. It made sense that that's where he went, so now they just had to find him.

"I'll call him," Emma said as she began dialing the phone.

...

David woke up to the sound of his ringtone. It was Emma, probably wondering where he had been and why he wasn't in the room when she woke up. "Hey, Em." He answered.

"Dad! Henry went missing and we think he was trying to find you. Have you seen him?" He could hear the desperation in her voice, and his next words killed him knowing she would continue to worry.

"No. No, I haven't seen him." He hated lying to his daughter, but it was for a good reason, right?

Emma cursed and he thought to reprimand her, but decided against it. "Can you come help us look? He thinks so much like you that you'd be a big help."

He sighed and looked at the sleeping boy next to him. It would be suspicious if he said no, so he only had one option. "Yeah. Just give me a bit." He hung up and took out a piece of paper to write a note.

'Henry,  
I'll be back in a couple hours. Just try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone.'

With that, he left to go talk to his daughter.

...

Henry sat up and had a slight moment of panic that he wasn't in his own room. Then he remembered the previous night and smiled at how fun it all was. He found the note from his grandpa, and of course took the opportunity of being alone to explore.

He walked around the bookshelves, reading various titles and occasionally pulling one out to see the cover. He held a bag of gummy bears, shoving them into his mouth by the handful. That all got boring quickly. The thing that really had his attention was the elevator at the back of the room.

It had a hand crank, and clearly going down wasn't a one person job. He knew he couldn't convince his grandpa to help when he got back, but he figured it would be worth a try. First, though, he needed to investigate.

Henry shoved the gummy bears in his pocket and got to work. He pulled the doors open and stepped inside. Other than the lack of buttons, it was like any other elevator he had ever seen. He walked around it, running his hand along the metal walls. He took a step and felt something press in with his foot.

He sat down and pushed at that spot with his hands. There was something there, but he couldn't quite get it. Finally, he stood back up and jumped on the spot with all his might. Nothing happened, so he tried again. That time, he felt it move. He tried again and again until suddenly he must have jumped too hard.

He heard a snap and then he was falling. Or rather, the elevator was falling with him in it. He screamed, but of course he was alone. He hit the ground with a thunk, faintly feeling his head smash against the wall.

He didn't lose consciousness at all, but he took a moment to regain his composure. He had honestly been surprised he was still alive, and he did a little fist pump in the air.

Slowly, he opened the door and peeked out. He had never seen a basement quite like that before. It was really more of a cave. It seemed safe, so he stepped out and began to walk. Perhaps there would be a staircase back up to the library. As he was walking, he heard some kind of growl and then a screech. He wasn't alone.

Fear gripped him as he saw the creature rise from the darkness. It was huge, at least twenty times bigger than him, and it had wings. Its roar was loud and knocked Henry off his feet. It wasn't until he saw the fire that it registered that this was a dragon. He was a kid, not a dragon slayer. One day, he would learn to slay dragons, but that would have to wait. His only option was to run. He ran until he saw a door. The dragon would be able to rip through it, but it was better than nothing. He grabbed the handle and turned.

...

Snow could hear Mal stirring outside her room again, but she didn't think much of it. She assumed Regina was on the way to visit her again, especially when she heard the door open.

She didn't even bother to sit up. She was curled in the bed with the blankets wrapped around her. She had barely moved since learning that Emma's twenty-eighth birthday had already passed. "Weren't you just here yester-" she started. Her words were cut off by the sound of panting. She looked up to see a young boy standing there, holding the door shut with all his weight.

"Hi. My name's Henry," he said. Snow's eyes widened. That was the first person other than Regina she had seen in such a long time. He may have just been a boy, but it meant things were changing. Emma might be coming after all.

"H-hello." Her voice was unsteady, and she could feel tears stinging her eyes. She slowly stood up and walked over to the door. "How did you..?"

Henry was still leaning against the door, almost as if trying to hold it closed with his weight. "It's a long story. Did you know there's a dragon out there? Like, a real live dragon."

Snow couldn't hold in the slight chuckle at that. She hadn't laughed in a long time, and the sound was a bit foreign. "Yeah. I know that all too well." She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room with her. He seemed to panic at leaving the door unblocked, so she quickly reassured him. "Don't worry, she won't hurt you in here. My captor has made it clear to her not to hurt me unless I leave. I'm not usually the damsel in distress type, but I can't fight a dragon on my own with no weapons."

Henry seemed thoughtful at that. "Don't worry. My grandpa will come soon and kill it. He's fought one before. He told me all about it last night!" He beamed at her, his pride in his family very clear. "So... How long have you been here?"

She looked at the floor, and then glaced at the mirror on the back of the door before answering. Henry found the gesture odd. "A long time," she finally said. "A lifetime, you could say."

Henry nodded thoughtfully at that. "And you've never tried to escape?"

She swallowed thickly. "I've tried, trust me." She pulled up the skirt of her gown, revealing that she was covered in burns and scars from many attempts to escape over the years. "Fighting a dragon just isn't so easy. How did you get past it? That must have taken a lot of bravery." The boy in front of her couldn't have been more than ten, yet he seemed mostly unphased by everything going on.

"I wasn't very brave. I just ran away from it. I'm no hero," he said as he sat down on the floor.

Snow nodded and thought of her time as a bandit. She thought of all the years running from her stepmother. "Sometimes, Henry, running is the most brave thing."

Henry looked up at her with a puzzled expression. Adults always say funny things, he thought.

Her stomach growled, and her cheeks went a little red. She was brought food every few days, enough to keep her alive but nothing more than that.

Henry smiled up at her and reached into his pocket. "I have some gummy bears. I ate most of 'em, but you can have the rest."

Snow furrowed her brow and slowly took the bag from him. "What are... gummy bears?" She asked as she pulled one out and inspected it. It was an unnatural blue color and felt like rubber in her hand.

Henry just looked on in shock. "You've never had a gummy bear before? I love them. My mom says they're bad, but she just doesn't like me eating sugar. That's why grandpa got them for me. You won't tell her, right?"

Snow let out a soft laugh and ruffled his hair. "It can be our secret." She finally put it in her mouth and was surprised by the sweet berry flavor. She had never tasted anything quite like it before. That was her first taste of food from this world that they didn't have back home. "We don't have anything like this where I'm from." Henry's face started to form the question, but Snow was starting to get the picture of his curiosity, so she answered before he could even ask. "Far away," she said. "It's nothing like here."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Like Australia," he said very seriously.

Snow only smiled, thinking what a strange thing to call a kingdom that was.

...

Emma watched her father walk into the sheriff's station with relief. "Took you long enough to get here. Where were you anyway? You weren't at Granny's this morning."

He couldn't lie to her. It was hard enough to do over the phone, but how could he lie to her face? Even if he tried, she had always been good at spotting a liar. He just shrugged and turned his face to the ground.

Emma looked at him, trying to gauge why he seemed like the cat who ate the canary, but found she was too worried about Henry to care. "We can talk about this later," she finally decided. "Do you have any ideas where Henry would have gone? We already checked Granny's, the school, and the playground he likes."

David sighed. "I don't know. Why don't we get in my truck and just look around for a bit?"

...

Regina hated being in a truck driven by Charming, but they were searching for her son, so there was no chance in hell she wasn't coming with. The car ride was painfully quiet, with no one saying a word. The glances Emma was shooting her dad seemed so loud, though. She clearly thought he was lying, but Regina didn't think he had it in him. Though, it had been twenty-eight years, and he had always been meaner without his wife around.

Emma sighed and David pulled over, after about an hour of nothing. "Dad. You're hiding something. You know I can spot a liar from a million miles away. What's going on? Do you know where Henry is?" She pleaded with him.

He looked out the window and played with his hands as he answered, "no."

Emma shot him another glare. "Dad. Why won't you tell me? Did you do something bad? Is it this fairytale bullshit again?" He'd been acting more and more odd since coming to Storybrooke. He was so focused on his ideas of magic and curses that he had been getting reckless. Regina smirked, thinking how fun it would be to watch his own daughter have to lock him up.

David looked at the floor for a long time and finally said, "I might know where he is." He gave Regina a pointed glare. "I don't trust you with a child, especially not Snow's grandson. You would hurt him to hurt her and I can't let you do that to an innocent child. I had to protect him."

Regina's face went red with anger. "You think I would hurt my own son? I don't care who his grandparents are, I raised him! He's mine!"

Emma put a hand out to stop the fighting. "Ok. We'll deal with that after we find him. Dad, where did you take him?"

David didn't take his eyes off Regina as he spoke. "He's safe. That's what matters."

Emma grabbed his arm. "No, what matters is that you kidnapped your grandson. Dad, I don't want to have to arrest you, but you can't keep acting like this. Tell us where he is and we can work this out. If Regina really is a threat, I'll look into it. Legally." She shared a look with Regina, who was absolutely fuming. Emma's eyes were apologetic. She didn't think Regina was a threat, but she knew how to deal with her father.

"Fine. He's in the library under the clock tower. We set up some sleeping bags and stayed there last night."

Regina's face went completely serious. "You took him where? You idiot, do you realise what kind of danger you put him in?" She shouted, pushing up towards the front seat.

David rolled his eyes. "That's not going to work Regina. I looked around the whole place first, I know it's safe."

She took a deep breath, trying not to slap him right there. "Did you open the elevator? Henry is curious. Especially if he's there alone, he's going to go down to the basement."

Emma looked between the two others in the car. "What's in the basement?" She asked cautiously.

Regina just glared at her for a second before stepping out of the car and taking off in the direction of the library. Her mind went blank as she thought of what would happen if she was too late.

...

David chased after Regina, but running was much harder for him since his body was older than hers. "Regina!" he called. "What's down there? It seemed perfectly fine."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. "Maleficent. Maleficent is down there, and she's going to kill anyone who comes near her," she snapped.

David's face paled. "How has no one noticed a dragon under the clocktower?"

Regina just shook her head. "They're all cursed. They don't notice anything. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go save my son from the mess you put him in!"

David paused, noticing the tears on her face. "You really do love him, don't you? I didn't think you were capable of that."

She rolled her eyes and kept walking. She had a dragon to slay, and he was not going to keep her from it any longer.


	6. Chapter 6

Something was going on outside. Henry couldn't tell what, but it was loud. The dragon roared a few times, and sounded like it was in pain.

The woman he had been talking to walked up to the door and listened. He hadn't learned her name yet - Mom would tell him that it's rude not to ask - but he didn't think it was the appropriate time.

She hugged Henry close to her, and covered his ears from the noise. She knew she should go out and fight, but no one would be there to protect the kid if she left. So instead, she held him and listened intently to the battle outside the door. She would be free soon, she knew.

...

Charming was tired. He had fought this same battle once before, but he wasn't trying to slay the dragon that time. He had finally weakened her enough that one last blow would do the job. He pulled his arms back and threw his sword as hard as he could. It landed right in the center of the dragon's chest, reducing her to ashes.

"Henry?" He called. "Are you here? It's safe now! She can't hurt you!" He heard shuffling behind him and was relieved that his grandson was safe.

But that relief fell away when he turned and saw not Henry, but Regina standing there.

She smirked at him. "I'm glad you took care of Maleficent for me, but I'll be rescuing my son myself now, thank you." She moved closer to him. He wanted to fight back, but he was exhausted after his other battle. She reached down and pulled a gun from her belt. His eyes widened in fear as he scrambled to stand up, but she only laughed.

"Oh don't worry," she said as she stepped closer. "I'm not going to kill you." She laughed again and hit him on the head with the end of the gun.

Then everything went black.

...

Regina took a deep breath and went towards the door to Snow's room. She knew that was the only place to hide, and thus where her son went. She sighed and turned the doorknob.

Her blood boiled, seeing Snow holding Henry close to her in a protective stance. The way she pulled him closer and away from Regina made her wish for another curse to inflict on her.

"Henry..." Snow started, watching him look up at Regina.

He only smiled his wide little grin and said, "don't worry! She's my mom! She probably slayed the dragon and she's here to rescue us."

Snow's mouth dropped open. "Your... mom?" She asked, but got no response as Regina grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"Honey, why don't you take the elevator back up and I'll help our new friend here," Regina said.

Henry looked a little wary as his gaze shifted between the two women. "Okay..." he finally said, leaving and closing the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Snow jumped to her feet. Regina scowled and stepped closer. "So, did you enjoy meeting your stepbrother?" She asked.

Snow rolled her eyes and ignored the comment. "Mal is gone now. You can't hold me here any longer," Snow realised with sudden clarity.

Regina laughed again in her way that made Snow's skin crawl. "Not quite." She said, stepping up to the mirror and touching it. It immediately switched to a picture of Charming, bruised and tied up.

Snow whimpered, making Regina smirk. "You'll stay right here because you don't want to know what will happen to your husband if you don't.

"If you hurt him..." Snow threatened.

Regina smirked back at her and started for the door. "Stay put and it won't be a problem."

...

Henry walked into Granny's - his mother had said she'd meet him there soon - and saw Emma waiting for him.

"Kid!" She called as she stepped closer and hugged him. She still had no idea what happened, since her dad refused to explain anything other than that Regina was dangerous, but she knew Henry had been in trouble and she wanted to protect him. He hugged her back tightly and smiled against her shoulder. "I love you..." She whispered.

"I love you, too," Henry said as he pulled away from the hug. Just then, Regina walked in. Henry looked up at her expectantly. "Did you bring that woman to the hospital? She looked hurt." He asked in concern.

Emma furrowed her brow. "What woman?" She looked at Regina and waited for an answer.

Regina glanced between the two of them. She hated having to do this to her son, but it was the only way to keep the savior from finding her mother. "Henry, we've talked about your making up stories. This has to end," she chided.

He looked up at her and backed away slowly. "Mom..." He started, not sure what else to say.

She sighed and stepped closer, following him further into Granny's. She reached for his arm, but he pulled away and ran for the door. "I'm going back down there! I'm gonna save her myself, if you won't!" He shouted back at her.

Emma glared at Regina. "Yet you claim to live him..." She muttered, heading for the door to chase after him.

...

"Henry? Henry!" Emma called, trying to find her son. She heard sniffling and walked to the noise. Henry was curled up on a curb, wiping his eyes with his hands.

Emma sat next to him and rubbed his back. "Hey, kid. She doesn't mean to-"

He cut her off by pulling away slightly. "You don't believe me. There was someone else there!"

She sighed. "Ok. I'll look. But you have to stay put. It's dangerous down there. Regina loves you and she will take care of you. Go back to Granny's and let her take you home until I'm back, ok?"

"Can't I stay with Grandpa?" He asked. He was starting to see Regina as the Evil Queen and he didn't want to see her.

"No."

"Why not" Henry asked. His voice was so small. Usually, he was mature enough that it was hard to see him as young as he was, but he truly looked like a little kid in that moment.

Emma nodded. "Please just go back to Regina. Let me solve this," she pleaded. She couldn't tell him that his grandpa was missing. He was already worried enough, she didn't need to add more to that.

Henry stood up slowly and walked back, with one final glance at Emma.

"Sorry, Kid," she whispered under her breath.

...

Of course, Emma had no interest in the creepy basement under the library. Or rather, no interest in being inside of it. But she was the deputy, so following a lead was her job, even if the lead came from a ten year old with a wild imagination.

She was surprised to find more of a cave than a basement. But even more surprising, there was a relatively normal looking door right in the middle of the cave wall.

She heard something behind it. Crying, she realised. So someone was there. She knocked once and called "hello?"

The crying stopped for a moment. "W-who are you?" She heard a voice say.

"My name is Deputy Swan. I'm here to help you. I'm gonna open this door now," she replied as she turned the knob.

She found a woman sitting on a bed. That must have been who Henry was referring to. The woman was in a long, white dress, which contrasted her short, dark hair. Emma approached her slowly. "I'm going to get you out of here. Can you walk?" She asked. She noticed that the other woman was quite banged up, but she wasn't sure how bad it was.

The woman shook her head hard. "I can't leave. She... She'll hurt my husband if I leave."

Emma's eyes widened. "Who will?" She had a pretty good idea, but she needed to hear it before jumping to conclusions.

The bitterness in the other woman's voice was palpable. "Regina," she ground out. "She's locked me here for years. She took my daughter away and now she has my husband," she sobbed.

Emma stepped closer and eased her to her feet. "It's ok," she soothed. "I'll make sure she doesn't hurt anyone. I'm going to bring you back to the sheriff's station now. You can tell me everything once we get there."

...

Snow was confused, to say the least. Just hours ago, everything had been exactly the same as it had been for twenty-eight years. Now she's had not one, but two new visitors. Then, she was dragged away, despite her protests for her husband. Now she was in some kind of carriage, with the woman who called herself Swan at the front. It had no horses, and was much louder than any carriage she'd seen before.

As they moved along the street, she got her first real glimpses of the Land Without Magic. Everything was far different than she had expected, but she supposed she didn't know what to expect from the beginning.

They got to a building Swan referred to as the Sheriff's Station. She stepped inside and was seated at a desk. Swan gave her a mug of hot chocolate and she drank it gratefully. She hadn't had anything like that in a long time. "Cinnamon..." She mumbled, "I used to love cinnamon." She remembered having it back at her castle when Johanna would make things with it. Most people in the Enchanted Forest didn't have access to such things, but being a princess came with many luxuries.

"Can you tell me your name?" Swan asked in a soothing voice.

"Snow," she said. 

The blonde made a slightly confused face in response and nodded. "Nice to meet you Snow. I'm Emma."

Snow's eyes went wide and her head snapped up from looking at the mug. How did she not see it sooner? "Emma," she breathed.

Emma stood and grabbed a blanket from the closet to wrap around Snow's shoulders as they talked. "You said Regina is going to hurt your husband. Do you know how I could get to him?" She wanted plenty of answers, but if someone was in danger, saving him was her top priority.

A tear slipped down Snow's face. "No. She showed me an image of him unconscious and tied up. I know she's not above killing him, especially now that I escaped. I need to go back before she noti-" her breathing grew heavy and she started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hey, hey," Emma soothed. "Listen to me. I'll help you find him, but you need to calm down first."

Emma helped Snow take some deep breaths. Soon, she was calm enough to talk again.

"Tell me everything you know about him and where Regina would have taken him," Emma requested.

Snow closed her eyes for a moment to think. "Well, his name is James." She felt odd not calling him by the nickname she gave him, but "Charming" didn't seem particularly helpful. "Where she took him... I don't know. When she took him before, she put him in her dungeon, but he escaped and I don't think she'd risk that again."

Emma nodded slowly. "Dungeon?" She repeated incredulously.

Snow noticed Emma's confusion and quickly amended her statement. "Yes. Back at her castle. Though, I don't know if there's something like it in this land or not. Obviously, I haven't had much time to explore since the Dark Curse struck."

...

No. No no no. Hell. No. "The Dark Curse," Emma repeated again. She closed her eyes for a long moment and sighed loudly before opening them and speaking again. "Your name... Is Snow short for... for Snow White?"

Snow smiled. "Yes," she said.

Emma looked her over for a long while. She couldn't possibly think the exact same thing as her father, who Snow had never met, unless...

"The curse..." She realised with sudden clarity. "It's real, isn't it? And you're... my... um..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Snow's eyes filled with tears again. "Emma," she said one more time. "Yes. I've been waiting so long to see you. And you're... You're all grown. I missed everything."

Emma's head was reeling, but she had enough clarity go realise one thing. "You said your husband is named James. If you really are Sn-" she swallowed. "If you are who you say, then you should be talking about my dad. His name is David."

Snow laughed softly for a moment. "I never did learn his real name. I know James was his brother, but I never asked who he was before. No, he was Charming to me. I called him that when we first met. After-"

"He caught you in a net," Emma finished, seeing the pride on Snow's face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short chapter, but I'm posting just so people know I'm not abandoning this story. I'm still excited about it and I have a lot of ideas!

Emma let Snow come with her to confront Regina. Or rather, Snow insisted on it. Emma had wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused to rest until they found her husband.

So Emma and her mother, as strange as that felt, went together to Regina's mansion. "Hey!" Emma called as she knocked on the door. "I just want to talk, Regina."

Regina opened the door and was going to speak, but she froze with her mouth open when she saw Snow standing on her porch. "Hello, deputy. Can I help you with something?" She gave the sweetest smile she could.

Emma looked between the two women, seeing the hatred on both faces. "Yes. I'm afraid I have to take you in for questioning."

Regina rolled her eyes. "On what grounds, may I ask?"

"You're a suspect in the kidnapping of this woman," Emma replied coolly.

Regina quirked an eyebrow. "And who exactly is this woman? I've never met her before," she lied.

Emma crossed her arms. "Even if I believed you, I'd still need to take you in to get a formal statement." 

Snow was in awe of the confident woman in front of her. Her eyes teared up a little again, thinking of all she missed. She would have loved to teach Emma how to ride a horse or shoot an arrow. Those moments were gone now, she was sure.

...

Henry should have gone home. He knew he should have gone home. That's what Emma wanted him to do, after all. But things were happening. Things never happened in Storybrooke, and he wouldn't miss it for the world. 

He wasn't quite sure where he needed to be to be part of the action, but he had a few guesses. If he went back to the clocktower, Emma would just send him home. So, he decided to head to the cemetery. He didn't know what exactly was in the Mills family mausoleum, but he knew his mother spent an awful lot of time there.

So, he opened the door - with a great deal of effort, considering how small he was - and stepped inside. It was dark, but Henry was prepared. He pulled a flashlight out of his bag and switched it on. The room was small and he wasn't really sure what he was looking for, so finding anything was proving to be a difficult task.

Finally, he noticed a brick slightly out of place in the wall. He figured it was a long shot, but he grabbed the edge and started to pull. Nothing happened. He tried again and again, but it wouldn't budge.

He pushed against the wall around it, and it finally moved. The force of it sent him crashing back against the coffin in the middle of the room. He was hurt, but shook it off as he noticed the staircase that opened when the coffin moved.

He looked around for a moment, but didn't waste much time going down the stairs. As he descended, he started to hear something moving. "Hello?" He called into the dark space.

He heard a noise, someone speaking, but he couldn't make out any words. "Is someone there?" He tried again. He remembered he was holding a flashlight and laughed at himself for forgetting to turn it on.

The first thing he saw when he turned on the flashlight was his grandpa, David. Henry ran up and pulled the cloth from his mouth. "What happened? Are you ok?" He fretted.

David smiled at him for a second, thinking how much he was like Emma. "I'm going to be fine. But it's not safe for either of us here. We need to go," he said as Henry undid his ties.

Henry looked down for a second, hesitating while David shook the last of the ropes off. "My mom," Henry whispered. "She did this to you, didn't she?"

David paused, unsure how to respond. He had never been particularly great with kids, even after raising his own. "Look it's... Regina is a very complicated woman. But she does love you. We can talk about this when we get out of here, ok?" He took Henry's hand and led him back up the staircase.

They both blinked, the sudden light of day being a little too much for their eyes that had been in the dark. They entered into the graveyard, with David standing protectively in front of Henry. "Let's go back to the room at Granny's," he suggested. "Then, we can call Emma."

...

Emma was sitting at the station with Snow when she got a very unexpected call from her father. "Dad?" She answered. Snow looked confused, trying to figure out the device Emma was holding. She gathered it was letting her communicate with Charming, but she couldn't tell much beyond that.

"Yeah. We need to talk. I found..." Emma looked her mother in the eyes and hesitated a moment before deciding on "something you need to see. Just come to the station, ok? And bring Henry. I want to be sure he's safe." There was a pause as David spoke on the other end. "Yeah, of course I trust you with him. I know. I'm sorry. You were right... About everything."

...

It didn't take very long after the call for David and Henry to get to the station. David's head was still reeling from everything that had happened and he wanted a break, but Emma said it was important that he came.

When he walked inside, he had never expected to see his wife sitting there. "Snow..." The word tumbled past his lips before he could even think to stop it.

She stood and within seconds, they were in each other's arms. "You found me," she whispered as he kissed her deeply.

They pulled apart and he smiled at her. "Did you ever doubt I would?"

Snow laughed and gave him another quick kiss before responding. "Truthfully, the dragon gave me pause," she answered.

Emma could only stare on in shock. It was exactly like the stories she had grown up with. In all her twenty-eight years, she had never seen her father look so happy. It really was as if they shared one heart. She watched her parents stare into each other's eyes and finally cleared her throat, breaking the silence they were all lost in.

"So," she said, looking her mother over again. "If this is all real, I guess I have a curse to break. Any ideas how?"


End file.
